To Capture a Cloud
by yukuro
Summary: Sometime between the cross of the worlds, Cloud, wandering since his defeat in the Hercules Cup, ended up in Traverse Town. No one told him living even temporarily with Leon would be easy. [LeonxCloud]
1. Part One

**Disclaimer:** not owned by me :D

**Pairing:** Leon x Cloud

To Capture a Cloud

By: yukuro

Leon never was quite sure how Cloud had ended up in Traverse Town that day. At that time, all he did was stand quietly at the side, observing the situation before him calmly while attempting to process all that was thrown at him. There were many things he was unsure of concerning Cloud's sudden appearance. All that Leon could remember at that time was Cloud's serious blue eyes and the fact that Aerith had cried when she saw him.

At that time, Aerith was so happy to see Cloud, she had immediately thrown her arms around him and planted a kiss on his cheek without thinking of what others might have thought. Yuffie too was excited to the point where she was jumping up and down with excited squeals. If Aerith had not been embracing Cloud at that time, Yuffie would have tackled him down. Both had forgotten to question how Cloud had gotten there or why he was there in the first place.

Somehow, as Leon watched them quietly from the side, he had noticed something odd in those glowing blue eyes. For someone with so many happy people to greet him, Cloud looked void of emotion even as he slowly brought a single arm up to Aerith's back to comfort her. When the blonde noticed Leon staring at him, he folded his blue eyes away behind his eyelids and turned his face slightly to the side. He really had nothing to say.

Flustered by her own sudden uncharacteristic outburst of raw emotion, Aerith embarrassedly separated herself from Cloud, quickly drying her tears. Oblivious to how empty Cloud looked, she worked up a smile for him before whispering, "You're alive… I'm so happy to see you, Cloud."

"That's right!" Yuffie butted in, grinning widely, "Aerith has always been thinking of you! Sometimes she even sulks about you when Squall's not watching!"

Then at that time again, Cloud's eyes met Leon's for a moment before Yuffie tugged on her former leader's arm impatiently. "Come on! You've got to come see Cid! He'll be so excited to see you! Maybe even more because you're all dressed up like Vincent…"

Leon continued to watch them passively as the two girls pushed the still silent Cloud along up to see Cid. Once the trio disappeared around the corner, Leon closed his eyes. Even though the world had turned dark behind his closed eyes, those blue eyes still shone in his mind. Still, something was off. Cloud was not himself and it was obvious through the dull emptiness in his eyes.

Eyes still closed, Leon turned to return to his home just as he heard Cid's incredibly loud exclamation of, "Spikey! You're alive!" ring throughout the district.

Leon had barely stepped into his house and taken a seat on his couch for a few minutes before Yuffie burst in with Aerith and Cloud behind her. The sudden self-invitation into his house made Leon raise a single one of his eyebrows. "Yes…?"

"We're looking for a place for Cloud to crash!" Yuffie exclaimed with a bit too much enthusiasm. "Even though I'm sure Aerith would be more than happy to let him stay with her, we figured it would be better if he stayed with another guy. Please, Squall?"

Eyes shifting from Yuffie's begging expression on his face to Aerith's brightly flushed face, Leon let out a tiny sigh before shrugging. "He can stay here with a complete stranger if he really wants to."

"Of course he does," Yuffie stated with a nod, ignoring the way Cloud's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "It's way better to stay with friends of friends than in that Heartless-infected hotel." With those final words, she waved to them and hooked her arm on Aerith's, dragging the older girl out of the house. "Good night!"

"'Friends,' huh?" Leon muttered to himself before lifting his eyes to examine Cloud who had remained rooted to the same spot he had been standing the entire time. "What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for someone," Cloud said quietly after a moment of mental debating. His eyes looked weary and yet still firm as they fixed themselves on Leon's face.

It was the first time Leon had heard Cloud speak and was slightly startled by the younger man's soft-spoken voice. Every word was soft and delicate, making Leon believe the man before him was still a troubled youth, still afraid of reveal his emotions. Breaking the connection between their eyes, Leon stood and turned towards his room. "You can sleep on the couch."

"I won't stay long," Cloud said quietly, still remaining in the same spot. "While I'm still looking for that person, I can't stay in one place too long."

"Maybe you should reconsider that a little," Leon stated simply as he walked into his room. "You'll end up making Aerith cry again."

Then without a sound, the lights switched off and the room plunged into darkness.

It felt uncomfortable sharing his living space with someone for Leon. Even so, he had let Cloud stay without a fight. When Leon woke up early in the morning as always and stepped out to find something to eat, he could hardly help but to notice Cloud was no longer there.

The sun had yet to rise and that meant the Heartless were still about. Leon had only slept for two or three hours at night, but he figured just that bit of time was already too much. He always went out to hunt the Heartless as soon as he woke up. This day however, someone had beaten him to it.

Just finishing off a Heartless with a swipe with his long sword, Cloud stood up straight, not bringing his eyes to meet Leon's. "Maybe just a little while," he muttered quietly. "I can't let Aerith cry too much. If you don't mind, that is…"

"Traverse Town is a refuge for people who are lost," Leon replied very simply and to the point. "Stay here until you feel you need to leave. You'll find the person you're searching for someday, but for now, how about working on finding your emotions again?"

Cloud blinked. He was not quite sure if that was a joke or not, but he found his face heating up with a tinge of embarrassment as he averted his gaze. Somehow, he felt as if he was being treated like a child. "Hmph."

Leon smirked. A very, very small smirk of course.

As time passed slowly, somehow Cloud and Leon managed to tolerate each other. Before then had even realized, they had grown accustomed to being together everywhere. Whether it was hunting, staying in Leon's home, or with the others, they had grown used to each other's presence. Only a little more time passed before Leon invited Cloud to the Secret Waterway.

Yuffie was impressed, as she clearly made known to Cloud as he headed to meet Leon. "That place is like Squall's _sanctuary_," Yuffie commented as she walked with Cloud. "He doesn't usually just let anyone go there. I mean, it took a long enough time to get him to let Aerith down there, but you've only be here for a little while and… Well, I think maybe he likes you."

"I don't think he would have let me stay in his house if he hated me," Cloud muttered in his soft voice with the slightest bit of sarcasm. He did not intend to be rude to Yuffie, but his nerves felt jumpy with the way the girl was exaggerating how "personal" the waterway was to Leon.

Leon had been stoic, quiet, and serious every moment Cloud was in his presence. The blonde simply assumed it was his nature. It was hard to imagine Leon really opening up to anyone, let alone share his secret place with someone who was still really a stranger.

Yuffie pushed Cloud towards the waterway with a knowing smile and a wink that made Cloud want to wince. That meant either she was plotting something, or creating some other strange ideas in her head. Yuffie was always too obvious with the way she was thinking, Cloud thought as he waded through the water.

"You could have came from the stairs," Leon commented with some amusement in his voice as he noticed Cloud wading through the water with a bit of misery.

"I'll keep that in mind next time," Cloud muttered dryly as he seated himself on the ground near where Leon was practicing to dry his clothes. The red cloak was beginning to feel heavy, but the blonde simply wrung it out and left it as it was.

Satisfied with his drying clothes, Cloud directed his attention up at Leon, who was still practicing swing his sword by himself. The blonde was mesmerized by the other man's sleek, elegant moves. He was still absorbed in Leon's tactics when the other man spoke to him.

"Even though we've been together for a while, we're still strangers, aren't we, Strife?" Leon said off-handedly as he calmly swung his weapon around.

"There are hardly any people that can say I'm not a stranger," Cloud stated in a matter-of-factly tone. Resting his chin on his knees, he watched Leon from behind.

"I thought they were your friends," Leon went on, sure that Cloud knew who "they" were. "You care about Aerith, don't you?"

Cloud stiffened slightly for a moment. He remained immobile when Leon turned to face him. Relaxing slightly, Cloud redirected his gaze into the wall. "The last person I called a 'friend' became someone who is bent on killing me. Not that I feel differently."

"And Aerith?" Leon pressed. He really had no reason to be prying so much. In fact, he really was not fond of questioning and bonding himself, but there was really no explaining why he wanted to know.

"I suppose I did," Cloud muttered, glowing blue eyes still directed at the wall. An almost-smile appeared on his lips, but was hidden from Leon's view. "I did some pretty crazy things for her before."

"Like what?" the other man asked, sudden more curious. Somehow, this sounded interesting.

"Like dressing as a woman and letting a bunch of drunk men hit on me," Cloud mumbled, slightly embarrassed that he was talking about it to someone he hardly knew. He sank down to hide his embarrassment when Leon let out a quick snort of laughter.

"You must make a very pretty woman then," Leon teased, smirking as he did so. He felt unlike himself. It was out of character for him to be talking so much in the first place, but now teasing and laughing? His eyes glimmered with amusement as he watched Cloud shift in embarrassment. Then, he remembered. "What do you mean by you 'did'? Do you not care for her anymore?"

Cloud was silent before responding in an emotionless manner that reminded Leon of the way Cloud looked the first time he had arrived in Traverse Town. "I've been through a lot of things and I can't care for her the way I used to or the way she needs me to."

Silence setting between them, Leon shifted his gaze in the opposite direction of Cloud's. He was being nosy, he knew, but Cloud had not complained yet.

"Sorry," Cloud suddenly muttered, snapping Leon out of his trance. "Do you…like Aerith?"

Leon pondered the question for a moment before closing his eyes. "I guess I did before for a while. Even when I didn't know you, I could tell she was always thinking about someone. It's obvious now. I guess I just feel a bit bad for her now."

"This…is kind of nice," Cloud softly said suddenly, making Leon turn to glance at him. Sinking down a bit lower behind his red cloak to hide his embarrassment, he went on, "I never liked to talk to anyone before because I thought it would be uncomfortable. But with you, it's not that bad."

Before Leon could say a word in response, Aerith peeked at them from around the wall. She called out to them before completely walking over to where the two were. "Sorry to bother you two at a time like this," she began, eyes straying between the two slowly, "but Yuffie wanted me to call you two up so we can eat together."

Leon felt his lips turn in an awkward position. "Yuffie didn't cook…did she?"

"A little," Aerith giggled in response, making Leon frown further.

Both were surprised when Cloud burst out laughing. Leon glanced over at him with a raised eyebrow, but Aerith covered her widening smile with her hands as a few tears came into her eyes. "Cloud?"

"Sorry," Cloud gasped between chokes of laughter. His blue eyes glowed more as he attempted to keep his laughter to a minimum. "Leon just looks so funny when he's pouting."

"Pouting?" Leon repeated with surprise, even though it was rather nice to see a smile on Cloud's usually stern face. Promptly walking over to the blonde to roughly muss his hair, which actually only made Cloud laugh more, Leon grumbled, "Who pouts, Strife?"

Aerith watched them quietly from the side with a small smile on her face. It was not until she was walking alone with Leon after Cloud went to find drier clothes to wear did Aerith speak to Leon again. "It's been so long since I've seen Cloud smile," she said with a gentle smile. "I'm so happy."

The pity Leon felt for the girl grew considerably at that moment. Doing his best to sound as if he knew nothing about the matter, he commented, "You like him a lot, don't you?"

The girl paused for a moment before replying softly, "Yes, I do. But you know," clasping her hands together behind her back and gazing up at the sky, Aerith smiled almost painfully, "I already understand his feelings. I've always wanted to be the one that makes him smile, but I only end up giving him trouble. I'm glad you can make Cloud laugh," she went on, bringing her smile back down to direct at Leon. "He likes you and I really am glad. He always did have trouble making friends."

"Friends, huh?" Leon repeated slowly, digesting the words with thought. He had never thought of lit that way before. Of course he thought of Cloud as his companion or partner, but he was not quite sure if they were friends. Like Cloud, Leon himself was not particularly good at making friends either. Even though he knew this, Leon could not help but to like Cloud. Before he could stop himself, he felt a tiny smile quirk on his lips. Titling his face down to hide his smile from Aerith, he muttered, "We had better get going."

Time seemed to pass more quickly than Leon had ever thought was possible. The days and hours melted together until he was unable to distinguish one day from the next. Everyday Leon and Cloud would fight back to back, learning each other's moves and when to protect and cover each other. At home, they learned a little about each other's habits as they moved about the house. Everyday they learned something new about each other.

Cloud was always exhausted when night approached, Leon noticed. He figured the blonde was not completely used to the unusual hours of Traverse Town yet and simply let the sleepy blonde fall onto the couch and sleep whenever he wanted. It was funny the way Leon was beginning to feel whenever he watched Cloud peacefully nap without motion or sound. If it were not for the even rising and falling of his chest, Leon would have thought Cloud was dead.

Even as he bustled about his house, Leon's eyes would still occasionally stray to where Cloud was sleeping to examine him. Cloud looked younger when he was asleep; it was as if he shed a year or two of defensive walls when his eyes fluttered closed. Silently, Leon crept over to where Cloud lay and squatted to examine him more closely. His features were soft and delicate, giving the impression that he could possibly break if held too tightly.

Leon resisted the nagging urge to touch his face and rose with a slightly embarrassed and slightly angry expression. It annoyed him how vulnerable he felt before Cloud's gentle sleeping face. Tossing his jacket at Cloud's faintly shivering shoulders, Leon narrowed his eyes and scowled quietly at a wall, "What the hell have done to me, Strife?"

Silently in the dark as Leon stormed into his room with confused emotions, Cloud continued to sleep peacefully, completely oblivious to it all.

There are and will always be many unexplained things circulating the worlds. Ideas, emotions, dreams, all things that not every can understand. Whether it may be painful eyes shut to it all or pure confusion, some things will never be completely explained. The reason? It is because all people secretly fear the unknown.

When Cloud woke up the next morning, he was warm. It was strange and foreign to him to feel so comfortable when his eyes first open. It was the first time since he was a child he woke up in warmth. As he sat up slowly, Leon's jacket slid down into his lap and Cloud blinked at it.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty," Leon said sarcastically from the other side of the room with his arms crossed. Roughly, he ran a hand through his hair and turned his face away to avoid Cloud's piercing blue eyes. "I was just about to find a prince to wake you up."

"Very funny," Cloud mumbled, a slight flush on his face as Leon strode across the room to meet him. Ducking his head to hide his embarrassment, Cloud held out Leon's jacket, feeling his face heat up further. "Ah…this… T-Thanks."

Leon stared down at the top of the other man's spiky blonde head before taking his jacket lightly. Letting out a small sigh, he brought his hand down on Cloud's head before muttering, "It's your fault for being stupid enough to let yourself freeze to death while you're sleeping."

And with that hand on top of his head, somehow Cloud felt warm again. Somehow, he could tell that it was the beginning of many more warm mornings to come. However, once within the warmth, it became harder to notice the frosty bits of darkness nipping away at the edges.

Tsuzuku.

**A/N:** Ever since I played Kingdom Hearts, I've been dying to write this pairing. :D I never really thought about crossing Final Fantasy games, but I completely fell in love with Cloud and Squall—or rather, Leon (XD)—again. Eep. Well, whatever works. Yay. Oh, and I'm sorry if this chapter makes it seem as if both Leon and Cloud are a bit too into Aerith. -.-; I don't particularly like her, actually. I'm pretty sure this is the only chapter like this. Eep.

Thanks for reading this chapter! Please look forward to the next. :D


	2. Part Two

**Disclaimer:** not owned by me :D

**Pairing:** Leon x Cloud

To Capture a Cloud

By: yukuro

They had been invited to Hades Cup that day. Yuffie immediately agreed with enthusiasm, exclaiming how she wanted to have a rematch with "that cute miniature Cloud, Sora." Leon and Cloud merely exchanged glances silently as if they were having a silent conversation. In the end, neither knew how, but they had decided to enter as a team.

No one questioned them or their reasons for the somewhat surprising decision. Of course, Yuffie and Aerith had their share of giggles over the matter, but neither one had said anything against the two. No one dared to say anything when they had decided to enter that way and no one dared to say anything when they began to train together everyday. Before anyone had realized, it was natural that Cloud and Leon were together throughout the day.

Leon did not like the way he had been feeling lately. He was worried about Cloud all the time in a way that reminded him of a mother hen. The slightest little cut on the other man during practice made Leon snap irritably about taking better care of himself. He really only snapped because he did not know any other way to express his concern. This was really beginning to bother him. He was beginning to feel awkward around Cloud, and he suddenly felt as if he was one hundred times more aware around the blonde.

In response to Leon's sharp words, Cloud would twist his lips into something that looked like a childish pout but never said anything in reply. He hardly even cared that he was continuously being treated as a child. He knew Leon was trying to look out for him, and actually, he kind of liked it as embarrassing as it was. Of course, he would never admit this to anyone. _Especially_ not Leon.

"Look how you've gone and gotten yourself these wounds that really could have been avoided if you were more careful," Leon scolded with a grim scowl as he bandaged Cloud's hand for him one day. "You're old enough to know how to take care of yourself, you overgrown child."

"Mean," Cloud snuffed in reply, turning his head and gazing down at Leon with one glowing blue eye. The other man was always scowling or irritably scolding him for stupid things in a way that was almost amusing to Cloud. He had grown quite fond of Leon and that what was beginning to make him worry. Everyday Cloud dreaded the day he would have to leave Traverse Town, but he also worried that staying too long would make him forget his objective. That was, after all, the only reason he had joined with Hades in the first place and he was reminded of that reason more and more frequently.

Cloud usually slept dreamlessly most nights, whether cold or warm. Since they had been invited to the Hades Cup tournament, dark dreams of reminders nipped away at his consciousness. It was getting harder to sleep at night and just when he thought he was able to finally rest, his back where that crooked black wing would appear would burn as a reminder of the contract he had made with Hades. He had already broken many rules by escaping to Traverse Town, and Cloud knew he was not exactly going to have it easy again. The contract was already written, and he could not rewrite it again. Even if it was for Leon, he could never stop searching for that person.

"The nights have been getting steadily colder these days," Leon quietly commented as he rose to his feet, gazing at the wall. "Maybe I should find you something warmer to sleep on or a room or something. You're always shivering in your sleep."

Gazing down at his hand that had been clearly bandaged with great care, Cloud sat still in silence for a moment. He realized how difficult it must be for Leon to be saying such opening things. The quiet brunette undoubtedly had a hard time expressing himself, or really speaking often at all. For him to be showing such concern for Cloud, really made the blonde feel grateful.

"You don't have to do that for me," Cloud responded, closing his blue eyes. "I…really can't be staying here forever."

How he hated hearing that. Actually, Leon knew that better than anyone. He and Cloud both had sensed that problem a long time ago but neither one spoke of it in fear. But then, this way also caused them fear and trouble as well. Getting too attached by emotion was a problem and fear completely in itself.

"Even so," Leon replied gruffly, gaze never wavering from the wall, "you're here for now and it is getting colder. If you won't accept a room, at least share mine for a little while. You'll catch a cold out here."

Cloud's head snapped up in surprise and embarrassment. He had not expected that. He had not expected Leon to care so much. Most of all, he just…well, he really had not expected what he had just heard. "E…eh?"

Realizing what he had just said, Leon stiffly walked over to the other side of the room to hide his growing embarrassment. "It's not like I'm seducing you or anything," he scowled with faintly reddening cheeks. "We're both guys. It's not such a big deal."

Staring at Leon's stiff back, Cloud felt his lips twitch into a half-grin. While it was quite nice seeing Leon show some compassion, Cloud had to keep in mind his recent sleeping problems. The last thing he wanted was for Leon to know that he had been contracted by the lord of hell to kill a demigod.

"Thanks for your concern," Cloud began quietly but sincerely, "but I don't know if that's a good idea. If you knew the reason, I would probably have to leave this world. But I'm very glad that you would show concern for me although we still don't know each other too well. Thank you."

Leon stood in silence. Cloud was still mysterious to him, and there was so much he did not know about the other man. He always wanted to know more, but he had been doing his best to restrain himself from getting too attached. Closing his eyes, Leon did not bother to argue back. It was his nature to be silent. Stepping towards his bedroom to retire for the night, he muttered, "Just take better care of yourself."

The image of Cloud sitting quietly on the couch slipped away as Leon shut the door softly behind him. He leaned against the closed door silently for a moment before shuffling towards his bed mindlessly. His mind could barely process any thoughts properly, and as he threw himself on his bed, he felt as if some unknown force was snickering at him from the dark. Something was laughing at him for his previous act of pure stupidity. Brows furrowing, Leon jerked his eyes shut and rolled over, annoyed and cursing himself.

He laid on his bed, staring at the wall with flattened eyes in annoyance for hours. It was not the first time insomnia plagued him, but it was the first time he felt particularly irritated about it. Unable to bear it any longer, Leon sat up and swung his legs over the side of his bed. A glass of water should help clear his mind, even though simply walking through the room Cloud was sleeping in would probably fog up his mind worse.

It took much of Leon's concentration to not glance at Cloud on his way through the room, but he could not help but notice that the usually still sleeper was suddenly twitching and making other uncomfortable movements. Leon paused in his steps to silently watch the blond wither for a moment before concern forced him to stride quickly across the room to the other man.

Forehead glossed with sweat and brows furrowed in invisible pain, Cloud fought against whatever was in his dream. Leon did not dare reach out to touch him, risking the chance of making the situation worse. All Leon was able to do was sit aside and watch in frustration.

"Burning," Cloud muttered in his sleep, twisting on his side. Leon's eyes grew slightly wider as he noticed a single black, twisted wing poke out of the other man's back. The wing twitched once and stretched itself a bit, blood soaking the tips of its roots. Leon could only stare in horror. In the next moment he blinked, the wing had disappeared again.

The pained expression on Cloud's face eased and his teeth released his bleeding lower lip unconsciously. His expression was still somewhat distraught, however and it looked as if a fever still plagued him. At least now he was sleeping peacefully again.

As Leon sat still next to the still-sleeping Cloud, he wondered if that wing he had seen was simply an illusion. Rising to his feet, he gazed down at the blond. There was still far more things than he realized that he did not know about Cloud. One starting with, Leon thought bitterly as he marched towards his front door, what the hell was Cloud Strife anyway?

Leon had barely taken three angry steps out of his house before a familiar voice interrupted his angry thoughts, "You're up pretty late, Squall. What's the occasion? Up to something?"

"I could ask the same of you," he stated stonily as Yuffie stepped out from the shadows, grinning at his side. Leon continued to walking, ignoring the girl's presence even as she began to follow him.

"Aren't you going to answer my question?" Yuffie asked cheerfully as she strolled along beside the man. She examined his expression quietly before stating, "Anyone else would say you're downright angry, but it looks like to me you're more concerned than angry."

It was annoying the way Yuffie was right sometimes, Leon thought glumly to himself. As much as it annoyed him, he hardly cared about what he had seen, or thought he had seen, anymore. The reason he was angry now was because despite his warnings, Cloud, that stubborn idiot, had ended up sick again. Somehow that had absorbed his anger and any other reason had been tossed out the window. Leon could find no explanation for why.

"He's got a fever," he mumbled, not bothering to even glance at Yuffie. "Strife is so careless."

Yuffie took a few moments to blink rapidly before promptly beginning to giggle. She giggled, "That's cute, Squall."

"_Leon_."

The girl continued to smile as he turned towards the pharmacy. "You always make yourself out to be antisocial and all," Yuffie began as she watched Leon browse through various medicine and potions, "and so it's hard to tell, but you actually really like Cloud, don't you? You're just afraid to admit so."

Leon stiffened significantly before sniffing and abruptly turning away to examine something on the other side. He replied coldly, "Ridiculous nonsense like that is both pointless and none of your business."

This comment only made Yuffie's smile wider. She tiptoed around him to grin up at him teasingly. "That response only makes it more obvious you know. It's perfectly fine to make new friends. Cloud's always been weird about people too, you know? He was such an aloof loner when I first met him, but I think he's doing better now. Maybe it's because of your help, I don't know. Whatever it is, I'm just glad to see him like this, the way he is now. He's growing."

Pausing, Leon finally let his eyes shift down to the girl's face. Yuffie was smiling sincerely, almost in the same way Aerith was when they had spoke. Both had similar views of Cloud. It was hard to imagine both of them being wrong. Leon remained silent as he paid for the medicine and stepped back outside again with Yuffie at his heels.

Breaking the silence, Yuffie spoke up cheerfully, "You know, I was actually out trying to sneak a snack in. A long day's worth of fighting gets a girl hungry, you know? I should probably get back home now. Take care of Cloud for me!"

"Yuffie," Leon called quietly just as the girl turned, getting ready to jog back to her house. He turned to glance at her and very seriously, he stated, "If you eat too much before you go to sleep, you'll get fat."

"That is so mean," Yuffie retorted, sticking her tongue out at him. She grinned and winked before dashing off with a wave, "Nice to see you feeling better, Squall!"

"It's _Leon_ now!"

It would take time, but it seemed likely that Leon would gradually come to understand Cloud. However much time was needed though, still remained a question.

xxxx

Coliseum was the same way they had remembered. Not much had changed since last time. Only the rapid bustling of Phil as he made last minute preparations for Hades Cup throughout the building was heard when they first arrived. It seemed like a long wait but in a minimum amount of time, but they would soon find themselves standing in the ring facing more than one kind of battle.

Yuffie had complained rather loudly about being 45th seed, but otherwise there was little activity in the waiting room the three shared. Leon and Cloud sat quietly next to each other, staring directly at the wall or ground and away from each other. It seemed as if they had not been speaking lately, but it was mostly because they had little to say.

Leon felt a disturbance. Something did not feel quite right and when he glanced over at Cloud, it became obvious. Cloud stared hard at the ground in a concentrated manner that seemed strange for his usual indifferent expression. The strangest of all, however, was that his hands, so neatly folded in his lap, were shaking. Sweat formed lightly on forehead and Leon was reminded of that night he imagined he had seen a wing on the other man's back.

"Did you hear about the Platinum Match?" a stranger commented to his companion. His words made Cloud stiffen. "There's this really unbeatable guy there. I swear, he's strong as the devil himself."

Eyes narrowing as he watched Cloud harden, Leon felt a frown tug at his lips. There was obviously something he was missing here. Yuffie had just been called into the stadium, so Leon was on his own with Cloud. While it was somewhat bothering him to try and find out, he sat rigidly as Cloud tightened his shaking fists. There was nothing to say.

"Well, well," a nasty sounding voice sounded as a shadow loomed over them. Leon looked up to see Hades, blue and flaming as usual but with a smirk spreading across his face. Leon continued to sit silently for the blue god had his gaze fixed directly on Cloud. "Long time no see, eh? How've you been, Cloudy-boy? Break any contracts lately? Oh that's right, you did. Luckily, you can't forget about that though, eh?"

Cloud never brought his gaze up to meet that of his mocker. He simply sat there, uncharacteristically awkward anger boiling up silently. Still, Leon could not find any words to say. Cloud, however, finally muttered, "He's here…isn't he?"

"Him?" Hades asked with an amused smirk. Jerking a pointed finger at Leon, he continued mockingly, "Oh, you mean your little boyfriend you were looking for before you dumped him for this guy here? Maybe he is here. You know what bothers me though?" The blue god's eyes darkened and grew fiery as he leaned closer towards Cloud. "The fact that while I kept my end of our deal, you didn't. You'll have to pay for that, you know."

Just as Cloud looked up, a raised blade separated Hades' dark glare from his own shining blue one. Glowing eyes shifted to the side, Cloud felt his brows furrow slightly at Leon's cold expression. "Leon?"

"I don't care what you two are talking about," Leon began icily as he lowered his weapon, "but if you're going to make a scene, at least get out of my sight first."

"Tsk. Not exactly Mr. Sunshine here, are we?" Hades snuffed, standing up straight. As he headed out, he commented, "By the way, Cloudy-boy, that Sephiroth guy is a serious pain in the ass to deal with. Looks like this guy here is not much different."

Leon unconsciously felt his gaze travel towards Cloud's face. Cloud's usually quiet and indifferent eyes were set ablaze in blue fury, looking as if they glowed even brighter than usual. He was angry, but it did not seem like an anger that was capable of killing someone. It was a desperate anger; almost painfully stinging soul and letting his heart hammer faster.

"Sephiroth…" Cloud breathed lightly in echo. He drew his hands tighter into a fist until they almost drew blood. Then without a word, he rose stiffly to his feet and strode towards the door of the waiting room.

For anyone else, Leon would have simply sat and remained where he was. It was none of his business to follow anyone. Cloud, however, was a different story. Something in his mind was bothering him like hell and unless he got up to go after Cloud, he would never be at peace. Grudgingly, Leon rose sharply and took off after Cloud just as Yuffie re-entered the room.

"Cloud! I just… Squall? Hey, where are you guys going?"

Yuffie promptly ignored, Leon marched after Cloud as the blond swiftly made his way up to Phil. By the time Leon came within earshot, the blond had already uncharacteristically exploded.

"Sign me up for the Platinum Match, Phil," Cloud demanded.

"Are you kidding?" the short goat-man scoffed in disbelief as he folded his arms. "That's suicide, kid. Besides, isn't your turn to fight in the Hades Cup coming up pretty soon?"

"Sign me up now!" Cloud restated firmly, his blue eyes glowing brighter than ever. "I have to see Sephiroth."

"Look, you're already in one tournament, I can't put you into another match that easily," Phil explained, hoping he would not further anger the enraged blond. He had the feeling that if he fought any harder, the situation could become dangerous.

"I have to see Sephiroth!"

Leon's eyes narrowed as Cloud's usually calm demeanor suddenly became borderline hysterical. Reaching out, he firmly pulled the blond back by the shoulder. In a scolding manner, he stated smoothly, "Calm down. Making a ruckus isn't going to solve anything. What's so important that you can't wait until after our match to take care of?"

At that moment, Cloud's tense body relaxed. When he turned to face Leon, his eyes were glowing a bright icy blue. His gaze was so cold, Leon could feel the atmosphere take a dramatic plunge. Their friendly relationship was suddenly not very friendly anymore. Cloud's eyes narrowed darkly before he turned to walk past Leon.

"Nothing you would understand."

Tsuzuku.

xxx xxx xxx

**A/N:** Ouch. Somewhat of a cliffhanger, I guess. x.o; It's a big change from the way I ended the last chapter. Ah, these two have such dramatic mood swings all the time. Must be tough being indifferent all the time. :D I suppose all people break sometime.

Thanks for reading this chapter! Please look forward to the next. :D


	3. Part Three

**Disclaimer:** not owned by me :D

**Pairing:** Leon x Cloud

To Capture a Cloud

By: yukuro

Apparently, they were no longer on speaking terms. Even Yuffie had noticed the awkward rift between them but found nothing to say. Cloud sat silently on the far side of the bench, chin resting on his knees and face up to his eyes hidden behind his red cloak. Leon sat on the other far side of the bench, facing the opposite direction as Yuffie awkwardly sat in the wide space between them.

When Cloud rose up suddenly to silently exit the room, Yuffie took the opportunity to let out a sigh. Turning to Leon's back, she commented with concern, "I don't know what happened while I was gone, but I can tell it was not very good. Aren't you worried about where Cloud's going?"

"Where he goes is no concern of mine," replied Leon icily without moving from the spot he sat with his arms crossed.

Yuffie let out another sigh. Standing up, she knocked Leon's head lightly before stating, "You know, you're really stubborn. While you _say_ it's none of your concern now, you're actually still quite worried, aren't you? You're kind, Squall. You actually like Cloud a lot, so you're bothered by the fact that you've fought with him and yet refuse to let yourself be the first to give in. I'm sure Cloud is the same way. Men are so ridiculous sometimes."

Leon said nothing as Yuffie followed suit and exited the room, leaving Leon alone with other random competitors. Though he hated admitting it, it was somewhat true. Yes, he was incredibly annoyed with the fact that he and Cloud had argued about a manner he did not even understand. Yes, he refused to be the first to apologize. Yes, he did care somewhat about Cloud, but he reassured himself it was not as much as Yuffie had exaggerated.

Just as their seed number was called, Leon rose and cursed under his breath at the wall. It was terrible timing to be arguing with Cloud. At this rate, they were bound to lose. As he made his way towards the entrance, he closed his eyes. Losing to Sora would be all right. At the moment, as annoying as it was, he was more preoccupied with Cloud's suddenly aggressiveness.

As they stood at the door preparing to go in, Leon snuck a glance over at the blond. Cloud looked mostly like himself again but slightly distracted. He squeezed his eyes closed for a moment in something that resembled pain, but when he opened his eyes again, they were bright and determined. As he took a step into the stadium with his red cloak billowing out from behind him, he muttered very softly, "Sorry."

Leon almost did not hear it. It was so soft, he thought he was hearing things. Whatever it was, it was not important at the moment. At the moment, he was to concentrate fully on what lay ahead—a match with Sora.

The small teen was as cheerful as ever; eyes brightening and smiling excitedly when he saw the familiar faces of Leon and Cloud. Sora really did resemble a smaller, more cheerful Cloud, Leon could not help but notice. Something about the boy seemed so likeable, and Leon was guilty of being quite fond of the boy. Sora had grown on him, so he could not help but fight lightly against the younger boy. Either Cloud felt the same or he was severely distracted from the battle. Leon had a feeling it was a bit of both.

Sora had won, and both Leon and Cloud, despite how they had both lacked in seriousness when they fought, congratulated him. Sora had grown and gained quite a bit of experience. As he beamed up at them, Cloud and Leon could temporarily forget their other problems.

"Any luck finding your friends?" Leon asked as he bandaged his arm.

Sora bit his lip with furrowed brows for a moment before sighing, "Actually, I saw Riku a few times already, and Kairi well…"

"That's code for 'no progress,'" Donald informed irritably before he and Goofy left the room. "Don't stay too long, Sora. We've got another match soon."

Nodding at his two animal companions, Sora returned his attention back to Leon and Cloud. Noticing the bleeding mess on Cloud's left arm, he let out something that resembled a squeak. "I'm so sorry, Cloud."

"It's nothing," Cloud said carelessly, gingerly swabbing at the wound and ignoring the way Leon was pointedly staring at him. "You had better get ready for your next match."

"Oh, right," Sora sighed reluctantly, rising to his feet. He smiled at the two. "I'll try to stop by Traverse Town again soon to visit you. Say hi to Aerith and Cid for me, Leon. Oh, and Cloud…"

Cloud brought his glowing blue eyes to meet Sora's own sparkling blue eyes. When their gazes connected, Sora smiled.

"I hope you're making progress in finding what you're looking for."

Leon waited silently for Sora to wave cheerfully at them and dash out towards the stadium. Once he and Cloud were left in silence, they both began to move again. Cloud rolled his sleeve higher up and examined his wound before licking at the blood to clean it off.

"You'll get it infected like that," Leon commented dryly, pulling Cloud's arm towards him to get a better look. He made no comment when he felt the questioning blue gaze rest on the top of his head as applied medicine and bandages to the other man's wound. "Even if it was Sora, you were being overly careless."

"I didn't know something like that still mattered to you," Cloud replied equally as coolly. He closed his eyes as he felt Leon tying the last knot on the bandage. Quietly, he commented, "I appreciate your hospitality in letting me stay in your home, but don't pretend to know me. You'll only get hurt."

"I get a good deal of hurt from not knowing you as well," Leon muttered with a slight scowl as he scanned the rest of Cloud's arm and shoulder for other wounds he may have missed. "It's annoying and troublesome, but I can't leave you alone. So take better care of yourself, you careless idiot."

Cloud felt his chest tighten at those words and closed his eyes in attempt to suppress the feeling. Even though he scowled and acted angry all the time, Leon really was being very kind and gentle to him all the time. What was annoying and troublesome, Cloud thought bitterly to himself as Leon gently cleaned his wounds, was that he was unable to reject Leon's soft touches despite how he truly did not deserve them.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Cloud took a breath before rising to his feet and pulling out of Leon's gentle grasp. "Sorry for bothering you."

"Platinum Match?" Leon asked stonily without expression as he watched Cloud stride towards the door. "I don't know what your relationship with this Sephiroth person is, but you had better not come back all carelessly injured again, Strife."

Pausing in his steps, Cloud glanced over his shoulder at Leon's serious expression. After a moment, he turned back towards the door and closed his eyes. Quietly, too quietly for Leon to hear, he muttered, "If I come back at all."

xxx xxx

It had been hours since Cloud left and yet he still did not return. Leon sat rigidly in the waiting room despite how everyone else had left. Even Yuffie had grown tired and checked into a room to get some sleep for the night. Cloud was obviously going to be coming back very late. That is, if he planned on coming back at all.

Patience wearing thin, Leon rose from his spot in the waiting room and headed out the door. He paused to poke his head in the stadium to see if anyone was still left inside. Unsurprisingly, it was completely dark. Leon was completely alone in the Coliseum stadium.

"If you're looking for that blond pretty-boy you were with earlier," Phil began grimly as he hung the "closed" sign on the entryway, "he left here awhile ago and went to the hotel. That guy was looking pretty smug back then."

Leon felt his lips press into a thin straight line. Before he could think, he asked, "Who, Cloud?"

Phil raised an eyebrow and made a clucking sound with his tongue. "Che. It would've been all right if it was him, but I was talking about the guy he was with. That blond kid is suicidal going with that nutcase. No sense in worrying your pretty little head about it, though. Your friend's probably already a goner by now."

Before Phil had finished even half of what he was saying previously, Leon had already strode out of the stadium. He knew he probably should have felt angry or annoyed that Cloud had left without a word to him or Yuffie, but a nagging sense of concern was tugging at his conscience. He kept getting the grim feeling that whatever Cloud's situation was at the moment, it was not a very good one.

The man at the hotel registration desk was very amused when Leon asked for Cloud's whereabouts. Of course, he informed Leon politely, but could not help but make a side remark, "Two guys go up together to one room and now a third joins in? Must be some party."

If Leon had actually been paying attention to the man, as annoying as he was, he might have learned a bit of crucial information. Two people. Two people meant that Cloud was not alone. Leon hardly gave this information a thought as he headed up the stairs towards Cloud's room. He had no business intruding, Leon knew, but he still could not help but feel annoyed at the way Cloud left without saying anything.

When Leon reached the room, there was no light streaking in from the bottom of the door. Brows furrowed, Leon reached over to knock but found that the door was already open. He knew that he probably still should have knocked to let Cloud know he was there, but he ended up pushing the door open to walk in silently without warning.

The rooms were completely dark. Leon squinted to see everything after he walked into a chair. Annoyance growing faintly, he called out softly, "Cloud?"

Instead of a reply, a thump was heard from another room with the faintest bit of light streaming out from the cracks of the barely open door. Leon paused for a moment. Something did not feel right. An irritable, nagging feeling was telling him not to go near that place, but his stubbornness made him step closer.

"I hate you," Cloud's voice came out in an angry gasp. His bare back, glistening with sweat, was to Leon when he gazed in from the crack. Sephiroth was there, and he was smirking as he had his way with Cloud's body. Gasping again in pain, Cloud leaned his angrily shaking body over before gritting his teeth to mutter, "I…really hate you."

"Are you mad because it hurts?" Sephiroth asked in a tone that made Leon feel as if there was suddenly ice in his veins. The silver haired main pulled Cloud closer, his eyes fixed directly over the blonde's shoulder at Leon. Smirking again as Cloud shuddered at his touch, Sephiroth tightened his hold on the blond just to see Leon angry.

"You don't really hate me," the silver haired man whispered into Cloud's ear, thrusting himself closer. Sephiroth turned, almost as if making sure that from their position on the ground, Cloud would not be able to see Leon. He reached his hand to a place Leon could not see, but a place that made Cloud let out a gasp of guilty pleasure. "Your body tells me differently, see?"

Leon's eyes narrowed as Sephiroth lifted Cloud's chin to kiss his exhausted lips. Amused eyes gleamed back at him when Leon took a step back. He was angry, so much that he wanted to charge in and neatly slice the annoyingly amused smile off Sephiroth's face. Cursing under his breath, Leon squeezed his eyes shut and turned away. As he made his way out, he faintly heard a whisper, "You only belong to me. Isn't that right, Cloud?"

Gripping the handle of the door until his nails drew blood on his palm, Leon gritted his teeth before stepping out. Just before he roughly closed the door, an answer sounded, "…ah, somehow it always turns out that way…"

Anger, confusion, pain; why is it always easier to recognize these feelings rather than gentler feelings? Anger takes a deep stab in hearts, almost to the point of shattering the soul. Yet it is far easier for people to resort to anger rather than forgiving. Is it because people fear pain to themselves and choose the stronger emotion to protect them? Or is it actually a flaw all people have, a weakness within another weakness?

Leon could feel nothing. When he returned to the hotel room Yuffie had left for them, he could do nothing but sink into a chair and glare blankly at the wall. His body was tired and his mind had already far since slipped into unconsciousness, but still he could not _feel_ anything. Somehow, it lasted like that for a very long time. Hours slipped away as Leon simply sat, staring hard at the wall with nothing to say or feel. He had barely noticed when the door opened and closed briefly in the dead of the night. Cloud had come back.

"Oh, you're still awake," Cloud muttered, running a hand through his hair somewhat embarrassedly. He actually had not planned on returning to see Leon at all. Gaze resting on the back of Leon's head, Cloud stood in silence with a serious expression on his face. Somehow, he felt that the atmosphere was far too tense. Somewhat reluctantly, Cloud broke the silence, "Phil…told me you came to this hotel to catch up with Yuffie. Sorry for making you wait. …Leon?"

Slowly, Cloud made his way towards Leon, around the room so that he would be able to see the other man's face. Once he stood clearly in front of the other man, blocking his gaze that was locked on the wall, Cloud said quietly, "I have to leave again."

For the first time in many hours, Leon moved. His eyes narrowed and he slowly rose to his feet. Eyes cold, he glared harshly at the blond. "What your business is has nothing to do with me."

Silence passed between them for a moment before Cloud slowly closed his eyes. "That's right," he muttered. "My business has nothing at all to do with you. Even so…" his eyes opened again, his shining blue gaze connecting firmly with Leon's cold glare. "Even so, I felt like I had to come back to see you."

Their gazes never faltered. Leon's gaze was still icy and emotionless while Cloud's was determined with a bit of fatigue hiding behind them.

"That match," Leon began slowly, eyes staring icily back at Cloud's, "did you lose?"

After another short pause, Cloud replied simply, "For now, yes. That's why I'm leaving. I need to become stronger. Until I can defeat him, I don't care what needs to be done."

"You don't really hate him," Leon accused with little emotion in his voice. In his mind, he did not care anymore. It was everything else in his body that was cursing himself for being this way. "If you did, you wouldn't have given up everything for him."

"You don't have to put it that way," Cloud scowled, eyes narrowing similarly. "Furthermore, you're completely wrong. This is obsession. The very thought of him makes my blood boil. No matter where I am or what I am doing, it is impossible to forget that person. He haunts my mind. I feel as if my soul is being torn from my body by him. No feelings have to be involved with obsession. It's simply masochist torture of the soul."

"You never should have came to Traverse Town," Leon said darkly, suddenly despising the look of indifference on Cloud's face. "If you never came, I never would have had to deal with such infuriating emotions. No matter where you try to stay, you always end up drifting away."

"We knew that from the beginning," Cloud replied, his blue eyes glowing brighter in the darkness. He wondered why he had not noticed, but the space between himself and Leon was gradually growing smaller with every word spoken. "It's impossible to capture a cloud. Clouds are always in some high, unreachable place. Even when you think you're close enough to reach, clouds will simply slip and drift away. Clouds never stay in one spot. Doing so would only imply dangerous storms to come."

"An ironically fitting name, isn't it?" Leon muttered dryly with still blank eyes as he unconsciously reached out to finger a strand of Cloud's light hair. He watched in passive silence as the light from Cloud's shining blue eyes slowly disappeared behind his fluttering eyelids. "It looks like there's a storm tonight."

"The clouds will probably clear by morning," Cloud muttered in response with a soft, somewhat restricted sigh. "Dark and dirtied clouds always tend to run away."

"But they always return white and pure again, don't they?" Leon whispered softly before their lips crashed together. His anger and jealousy flared and faded faster than a crash of lightning.

"No," Cloud sighed softly as hands gingerly came in contact with the skin of his chest and slowly pulled him closer. Blue eyes faded in the dark as he pulled himself closer to Leon and the warm body that felt far more comfortable than Sephiroth's had been. "They only pretend to be that way."

The sun was streaking in the room from the window when Leon awoke again. The spot beside him was cold and the sheets were still crinkled from the events of the night. He sat up slowly in the empty bed, sheets sliding from his bare chest as he did so. Pulling the curtains aside, Leon gazed up into the sky. Sure enough and as predicted, there was not a cloud in the sky.

It was impossible, after all, to capture a cloud.

Owari.

**A/N:** Finally finished! Argh, Cloud and Leon are such a stubborn pair. x.x; It pains me somewhat with such a terrible ending. Although I usually rather enjoy happy endings, I still have to torture myself with uber angsty endings all the time. Damn, it's like the never-ending cliffhanger! T-T; Agh. Well, I feel like I haven't been able to put my heart into my writing, so I'm quite upset with myself. x.x; Hope this was acceptable.

Thanks for reading!


End file.
